The rough guide to barrelhouse blues

"The term 'Barrelhouse' refers to the pianostyle developed by the misicians who had the hard job of entertaining customers in the makeshift joints hastily erected to cater for hard-drinking labourers who would often appear adjacent to all sorts of work camps. To survive as a musician in these dives you'd have to be a pretty tough character ... Tough men making tough music - and Barrelhouse Blues contains many prime examples of this two-fisted, break 'em on down, knock 'em out music ... Twenty-five tracks, recorded between 1926 and 1941 (...) gathered here in a glorious assembly".